Viva Las Vegas
Viva Las Vegas is the first episode in season five of . Synopsis Grissom works a nightclub shooting with Greg Sanders, who finally found a replacement in the lab and now only has to pass his final proficiency test. Catherine investigates when a stripper is found dead in a hotel room. Warrick investigates when a man is found electrocuted in his bathtub. Sara and Nick are called in when an 'alien' is found in a shallow grave near Area 51. Plot It's a busy night in the crime lab, with the investigation of four, later five, different murders as well as the arrival of a new DNA technician. Greg Sanders introduces his replacement, Chandra Moore, to the lab and nightshift CSIs. In the locker room, Sara Sidle rehearses a speech to Gil Grissom regarding her recent vacation time and PEAP counseling. She tries to talk to Grissom before the shift begins, but postpones until later after seeing how busy it is. In a nightclub, Jim Brass and Grissom examine a man who's been shot. Several shell casings and a burned photograph of what appears to be another dead man are found next to him. Grissom brings Greg onto the case for his proficiency test. He leaves Greg to process the inside of the night club, finding a car in the parking lot with a camera and wire inside. Following up on a prescription found at the scene, Brass, Grissom, and Greg find the dead man from the photograph who's been strangled with wire. He's Ken Willard, the primary owner of the night club. They conclude that the first victim was a hired killer who returned to the night club with proof he finished the job. At the night club, Greg finds the murder weapon in a lamp shade. When trace on the grip of the gun is found to be tape adhesive and toilet bowl cleaner, Greg reveals that he knows the toilets at the crime scene have blue water because he used them while he was there. Grissom rebukes him severely for contaminating a crime scene and possibly flushing away evidence. The gun belongs to Manny, the other owner of the night club, who claims it was stolen out of his desk. When they investigate the bathrooms, they find duct tape in the upper bowl of a toilet, indicating that the gun had been taped there to avoid the metal detector. A fingerprint on the tape belongs to a female worker at the club. She admits that she hired the hitman to kill Willard after he involved her in drug trafficking, and later killed the hitman when he demanded double the agreed fee. Catherine Willows investigates a crime scene at the Palermo hotel, where Carl Johnson is covered in blood and claiming loudly that he had nothing to do with the dead woman in his bed. The victim, Raven Richards, has a single head wound that has resulted in blood spray covering the room. Catherine determines she's a stripper from her breast implants and clear purse. In autopsy, Crystal is found to have a swollen ankle as well as a BAC four times the legal limit. Dr. Al Robbins suspects she was an alcoholic, thinning her blood and leading to the abnormal amount of blood at the scene. A fingerprint from an ex-con, George Craven, is found in the hotel room and he admits that the dead woman is his girlfriend. His clothes are negative for blood and security cameras show him leaving the hotel room before the murder. Back at the crime scene, Catherine determines that Raven slipped in the bathroom and injured her head. Because she had drugged Carl Johnson, he was unable to help her and she bled out in the room. Warrick Brown investigates a crime scene in a rundown apartment building where a man has been electrocuted in his bathtub with a hot plate. The victim, Lance Frazer, had only been in Las Vegas for four weeks but was two weeks behind on his rent. Warrick notices scars on his wrists indicating previous suicide attempts. His jeans contain an empty wallet, cigarettes, sweetener packets, and a hotdog wrapper. In his room is also an orange lei, which Warrick knows are given to winners at a local casino. He retraces the victim's steps using the lei and the contents of his jeans and identifies a worker from a nearby hotdog stand as a suspect. The suspect's apartment is filled with newly purchased electronics. It's determined that he had seen the victim's casino winnings, followed him home, and electrocuted him when he refused to tell him where he'd hidden the money. Nick Stokes and Sara investigate a crime scene near Area 51 where what appears to be the corpse of an alien has been found. In autopsy, the corpse is found to be wearing a costume that was designed for an local wedding chapel. He's identified through the hearing aid he's wearing and a wedding script in his pocket to be Ed Thomas, a minister at an alien wedding chapel. Trace on the shovel found at the crime scene is pink car paint. Near the wedding chapel, Sara and Nick find a damaged pink Cadillac at an Elvis wedding chapel. The Elvis minister, who's now taken over the alien chapel as well, admits that he was rivals with Ed Thomas. However, he claims he found the victim already deceased in his home and only gave him a burial where he would have wanted. Nick and Sara inform him that autopsy indicated the Ed was not dead when found but unconscious from a condition called Marfans Syndrome. He actually died after being buried alive by the Elvis minister. At the end of the episode, Catherine goes to her boyfriend Chris Bezich 's nightclub and walks in on him with another woman. She leaves without a word. Grissom fails Greg on his proficiency test, but decides to give him another chance. Chandra has been completely overwhelmed by the work and personality of the lab and quits. Cast Main Cast * William Petersen as Gil Grissom * Marg Helgenberger as Catherine Willows * Gary Dourdan as Warrick Brown * George Eads as Nick Stokes * Jorja Fox as Sara Sidle * Eric Szmanda as Greg Sanders * Robert David Hall as Dr. Al Robbins * Paul Guilfoyle as Jim Brass Guest Cast * Alex Carter as Detective Louis Vartann * José Zúniga as Detective Chris Cavaliere * Archie Kao as Archie Johnson * Romy Rosemont as Jacqui Franco * David Berman as David Phillips * Wallace Langham as David Hodges * Jonathan Penner as Detective Travis * Nicholas Lea as Chris Bezich * Scott Klace as Carl Johnson * Marina Black as Crystal * Tony Amendola as Landlord * Terrell Tilford as George Craven * John L. Adams as Manny Brazil * Bug Hall as Daniel Halburt * Reiko Aylesworth as Chandra Moore * French Stewart as Brian/Alien Minister * J.C. Brandy as Nicole 'Raven' Richards * Justin Kennedy as Lance Frazer * Stacey Linde as Alien Wife * Tony Mosti as Al Capone * Vincent M. Ward as Space Major Events *It's revealed that Greg has finally found a replacement named Chandra Moore to take over his position in the DNA Lab. *As a result of not clearing the restroom and peeing in a toilet at the nightclub, Greg fails his final proficiency test but Grissom decides to give him another chance. *Unable to cope with the rest of the team comparing her to Greg, Chandra abruptly quits on her first day, resulting in Nick winning a bet he made with Warrick. *Catherine's relationship with Chris Bezich ends when she catches him with another woman. Episode Title *''Viva Las Vegas is a reference to the 1963 Elvis song and 1964 musical starring Elvis of the same name. Music * '''Spitfire' by The Prodigy Trivia *Jonathan Penner who portrayed "Detective Travis" would later become a three-time contestant on the reality show, Survivor. See Also 501 Category:CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Episodes Category:CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Season 5 Episodes